Fountain pen



Jan. 30, 1940. l D, L A FRANCE 2,188,662

FOUNTAN PEN Filed Aug. 2, 1938 Patented Jan. 30, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT ori-lcs FOUNTAIN PEN David J. La France, Arlington, Mass.

Application August 2,

' s claims.

This invention relates -to fountain pens, particularly those of the vacuum lling piston type. The object of the invention is to provide a fountain pen having a large ink capacity and prog, vided with a piston ofl novel construction which is loosely mounted upon an operating rod free to member and seat of the piston during an outward stroke of said piston, thereby providing a free exit for air conned within the barrel of the pen and relieving the packing at the top of the bare rel from excessive pressure and consequent strain, and said valve member seating tightly against the seat of the pistonand closing said passage during the inward stroke of said piston,thereby making it possible to create an effective vacuumwithin the barrel and ink reservoir of the pen.

The invention consists in a fountain pen asset forth in the following specication and particularly as pointed out in the claims.

Referring to the drawing:

Fig. 1 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of a fountain pen embodying my invention, the piston being illustrated in its innermost position.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail sectional View of a` portion of the pen barrel together with the piston and. associated parts in the positions they occupy during an outward stroke of the piston.

Fig. 3 is a view similar to Fig. 2 but illustrating the relative positions of the piston and associated parts during the inward stroke of the piston.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of the drawing.

In the drawing, lrepresents a, pen barrel provided with an ink reservoir 6 therein the diameter of which is increased slightly at 1 to provide a bypass for said ink. vMounted at one extremity of the barrel is a nozzle 6 carying a feed plug 9 and pen point III (kf/well known construction, said plug 'being provided with a feed ductv II. Mounted 'within the barrel 5 at thel other end thereof between washers I2 which have threaded engagement with the interior of said barrel is a stuiling'box I3 including a suitable packing material I4.

Slidably mounted in the stufling box I3 is arod I5 having a handle I6 rigidly secured theretb at its outer extremity which has a screw threided connection withthe barrel 5 at I1. The inner. end

1938, `Serial No; 222,649

(Cl. 1Z0-47) portion of the rod I5 which is located within the reservoir 6 is screw threaded at I6 to receive a valve member I9' which is rigidly secured thereto at the top of said screw threaded portion. The valve member I9 is recessed at 20 to provide an I5 internal frusto-conical valve seat 2 I. Rigidly secured at the inner extremity of the rod I5 is a' stop member 22 having@ groove 23 extending transversely across the face thereof which contacts with the valve member a passage' therebetween when said members are in contact. The valve member I9 and stop member 22 are separated by a suitable space 24.

Loosely mounted upon the rod I5 in the space between the valve member I9 and the stop member 22 isa piston 25 formed of a suitable flexible material as, forexample, rubber. A lower portion 26 of the piston 25 engages the wall of the reservoir 6 with a snug yielding contact. Projecting upwardly from the portion 26 of the pis' 20 ton25 is a frusto-conical extension 21 providing an-external valve seat 28 which projects into the recess of the valve member I9 and co-operates with the seat 2| therein to form a passage 29 therebetween during certain conditions of opg5 eration hereinafter to be more fully described. The piston v is of such loose fit upon lthe rod I5 that/a passage 30 is formed through said piston` around saidrod, said passage providing a means whereby air may pass from the recess 20 through 30 the piston into the passage 23 of the stop member 22 to the portion of the reservoir 6 which is located beneath said piston during its upward movement, at which time the parts are positioned as illustrated in 2. When the piston is forced downwardly, or, as in the direction of the arrow b Fig. 3, the co-operating frusto-conical seat portions 2| and 28 are forced tightly together to close the passage 29 and prevent air from iiowing through the piston.I During this movement of the piston air is discharged from the reservoir 6 through the duct I I, and a partial vacuum is created within the reservoir above the piston, and this action continues until the piston enters the enlarged portion 1 of said reservoir 45 when the vacuum is broken.

The general loperation of the pen structure hereinbefore specifically described isas lfollows: In lling an empty pen barrel or reservoir with ink the handle I6 of the rod I5 is grasped and. 50 unscrewed from the barrel and then pulled outwardly, or, in the direction of the arrow a in Fig. 2. During this outward movement of the rod the upper extremity of the stop member 22 contacts with the lower extremity of the piston 25 and I9, thereby forming 10,

said piston isforced upwardly with its periphery in tight engagement with the bore of the barrel, and the vpassage 29' between the internal valve seat tand external seat 21 is open permitting air from above the piston to pass therethrough and into and through the passage 30 of the piston and passage 23 of the stop member 22 to the under side of said piston. With the air thus substantially all discharged from above the piston during its upwardmovemenathe nozzle 8 ofthe Den is submerged in a supply of link and the rod l5 is forced inwardly, or, in the direction of the arrow b in Fig. 3. During the rst part oi the inward movement of the rod I5 the piston 25 remains stationary until the valve member I9 contacts with the extension 2l of said piston and wedges tightly thereagainst closing the passage 29 between the seat portions 2l vand 28. A continued movement of the rod I5 then causes the piston to move inwardly in unison therewithA causing a partial vacuum to be created within sald reservoir above said piston which continues to exist until the piston reaches the enlarged portion 'l provided within the barrel when the vacuum will be broken thereby permitting a supply of ink to be forced upwardly within the reservoir by atmospheric pressure in a well known man- ,ner, said ink passing between the periphery of the piston and the wall of the barrel at the enlarged portion thereof. When the ink has reached the highest level attainable within the reservoir the handle I6 is screwed' tightly into the barrel and the pen is then ready for use.

I claim:

1..A fountain pen having, in combination, a.'

barrel provided with a reservoir for ink therein, a rod mounted upon said barrel, a valve member fast to said rod within said reservoir and having a. frusto-conical seat embodied therein, a stop fast to the rod within the reservoir, and a valvemember constituting a piston loosely mounted upon the lrod between said rst named valve member and stop and having a frusto-conical seat embodied therein arranged to cor-operate with said rst named seat tovprevent a ow of air therebetween and through the piston during an inward movement of the rod while permitting a flow of air during an outward movement of the rod;

.2. A fountain pen having, in combination, a barrel provided with a reservoir for ink therein, a rod mounted upon said barrel, a valve member fast to said rod within said reservoir and having .an internal seat formed therein, anstop fast to the rod within the reservoir, and a piston loosely mounted upon the rod between said valve member and stop, said piston having an external seat formed thereon arranged to co-operate with said internal seat to prevent a flow of air therebetween and through the piston during anV inward stroke of said piston while permitting a flow of air during an outward stroke.

3. A fountain pen having, in combination, a barrel provided with a reservoir for ink therein, a

rod mounted upon said barrel, a valve member -ed upon the rod between said valve member and stop, said pistonhaving an external seat formed thereon arranged to co-operate with said internal seat to prevent a flow of-air through said passage during an inward stroke of the piston while permitting a ow of air therethrough during an outward stroke.

4. A fountain pen having, in combination, a barrel provided with a reservoir for ink therein, a rod mounted uponsaid barrel, a valve member fast to said rod within said reservoir and provided with a recess therein, a stop fast to the rod within the reservoir, and a piston having a passage extending therethrough loosely mounted upon the rod between said valve member andstop, said piston being providedwith an extension projecting into said recess and arranged to seat therein to prevent a ow of air through said passage during an inward stroke of the piston while permitting a ilow of air therethrough during an outward stroke.

5. A fountan pen having, in combination, a barrel provided with a reservoir for ink therein, a rod mounted upon said barrel, a valve member fast to said rod within said reservoir and having a frusto-conical seat formed therein, a stop fast .y to said rod within the reservoir, and a piston having a passage extending therethrough loosely mounted upon the rod between said valve member and stop, said piston being provided with a frusto-conical extension projecting into said valve member-and arranged to contact with said seat to prevent a ow oi air through said passage during an inward stroke of the piston while permitting a owof air therethrough during an outward stroke.

6. A fountain pen having, in combination, a

barrel provided with a vreservoir for ink therein,

a rod mounted upon said barrel, a valve member.

fast to said rod within said reservoir and having a frusta-conical seat formed therein, a stop fast to the rod within the reservoir and provided with a vent passage for air therein, and a piston loosely mounted upon the rod between said valve member and stop, said piston having a passage extending therethrough around the rod communicating with said vent passage, and a frusto-conical extension projecting from said piston into said valve member and arranged to contact with said seat to prevent a ow' of air through the passage in the piston during an inward stroke `thereof while permitting a ilow of air therethrough during an outward stroke.

Davila J. LA FRANCE. 

